Baftas glory for Mulligan and Firth

Kathryn Bigelow at the Baftas with the Best Director award she won for The Hurt Locker

British actors Carey Mulligan and Colin Firth have scooped glory at the Baftas as sci-fi hit Avatar failed to match its record-breaking box-office success with awards.

Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker clinched best film over Avatar - one of six Baftas it won including best director for Kathryn Bigelow, who is the ex-wife of Avatar film-maker James Cameron.

Firth, 49, won his first Bafta for his role as a gay academic in fashion designer Tom Ford's debut film A Single Man.

The heartthrob beat US competition, including Jeff Bridges and George Clooney, while Mulligan, 24, won best actress for her leading role in coming of age film An Education despite being almost unknown a year ago and having been rejected by three drama schools.

In his acceptance speech, Firth thanked his fridge repair man, saying he was about to email the director rejecting his offer to appear in the film when the repair man turned up and gave him a chance to have a change of heart.

"I was about to send this when a man came to repair my fridge... I don't know what's best for me so I would like to thank the fridge guy," he said. "All I know is don't ever press 'send' until you have had your fridge repaired."

Mulligan, who beat Hollywood veterans like Meryl Streep in her category, shook with emotion as she got to the stage to collect best actress and thanked her family. She, like Firth, could now be set for Oscar success as both are up for best acting gongs next month. She said: "I really didn't expect this at all so I didn't think of anything to say. Thank you so much Bafta. I was here a year ago and I didn't imagine in a million years that this would happen. I wish I could do a speech like Colin Firth and talk about fridges but I can't."

US film-maker Bigelow said it was "beyond our wildest imagination" as she became the first woman to win the best director category. The film also won original screenplay, cinematography, editing and sound.

One of the most emotional moments in the evening came when veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave received the Bafta Fellowship from Prince William, who has become President of Bafta after taking over from Lord Attenborough. Redgrave, 73, whose actress daughter Natasha Richardson was remembered with a tribute after she died in a skiing accident last year, was supported by her daughter Joely Richardson at the glitzy ceremony.

Afterwards, she said: "It's been a very emotional night. It's the most special award I've ever had because it's the country where I was born, the country where I studied and trained. It's the country where I'm still a citizen and where a third of my family live. It's huge."